Missing Ingredients
by trixyflixy
Summary: Claudia has managed to create a prominent wedding cake business. With such a successful career, why is her love life so unsuccessful. Could a blast from the past be what she needs to spice it up?
1. Chapter 1

"How do you ever expect to meet a husband when you have frosting in your hair and flour all over your face

"How do you ever expect to meet a husband when you have frosting in your hair and flour all over your face?" Chided Betty Tabor as she reached for a towel.

Claudia laughed as she reached out and took the towel from Betty. "I really don't see any eligible bachelors kicking down the door to my kitchen do you?"

"Well it wouldn't hurt you to take on a more active social life!" said Betty as she clucked her tongue at Claudia.

Claudia sighed as she looked into Betty's kind, soft blue eyes. "Betty, I just don't have time. Wedding season is upon us and with Renee out on maternity leave we are going to be slammed!" She reached out and squeezed Betty's hand then kissed her cheek leaving a dusting of flour across her face.

"I appreciate you looking out for me and being my second mom AND my confidante. But I really am not interested in dating right now."

"Don't think you've heard the last from me honey child." Said Betty wagging her finger. "You go home and get some sleep. You look like shit. What kind of husband are you going to meet with bags the size of luggage under your eyes?" She giggled as she grabbed her purse, waved goodbye and exited through the side door.

Claudia grinned as she sank into a chair. As tired as she was most days she was proud of her little wedding cake business. She had graduated high school but unlike most of her friends, college wasn't an option for her. She knew she hated school, why torture herself with 4-5 more years of it? She by chance happened to get a part time job in a bakery in town which was run by a wonderful, supportive couple with no children of their own. The Gould's took notice of Claudia's artistic ability and encouraged her to take culinary classes. They willingly worked around her schedule and offered her support and encouragement whenever needed. Once she found her niche, in her pastry and dessert classes Claudia was hooked. As a graduation present, the Gould's who had sold their business loaned her enough money to establish a wedding cake business. _The Gould's were so much more supportive of me than my parents ever were_ thought Claudia darkly. Her sister Janine had become one of the leading forensics experts in Connecticut. She had met a forensic pathologist and they had quickly married and had a son, Edison William Walker. Claudia grinned as she thought of her nephew's initials. EWW was right with a name like Edison. As if having a dad who performed autopsies and a mom who combed crime scenes for blood and spit wasn't bad enough, he had one hell of a name to deal with.

Truthfully, Claudia was proud of her sister, and her brother in law, Bill, albeit kind of nerdy, was a decent guy. Edison was adorable, he was in the toddling stages now, always asking why. Her family was supportive of her, but Janine's accomplishments always seemed to overshadow hers. She didn't care though, after nearly 8 years, Cakes by Claudia had plenty of clients and was even featured on the website The Knot as well as in a local Bridal magazine. She had hired Betty right away when she opened. Betty, although in her mid-fifties, was spunky, fun, dedicated and most importantly passionate about her work. Several part-timers worked there as well but it was Claudia who designed every single cake after meeting with the bride & groom.

At 33 years of age, she had moved her business from a rented kitchen to a small bakery just outside of Stoneybrook. She just celebrated her first year of being a homeowner and had completely paid the Gould's back the money they loaned her. She kept in touch with her high school friends as much as she could but they had all kind of separated after high school. It was mostly Holiday cards and email forwards these days. She still talked to Stacey regularly and would go to visit her in Hartford whenever she had time.

Stacey was always on her case about settling down also. She had graduated from NYU with an accounting degree and had found an excellent job with a renowned CPA in Hartford, CT. She had moved up to an assistant vice-president and wasn't going to stop until she had the deluxe corner office. She had married right out of college to her boyfriend of 3 years. After 6 months, they realized what a huge mistake they had made and divorced.

Claudia grinned as she thought of Jason, who was Stacey's current boyfriend. About 2 years ago, she had gone up to visit Stacey and they had gone to a dive bar that featured Karaoke. After warbling their way through a Shania Twain song, they were surprised to see that two shots had been bought for them by a group of guys at the back of the bar. They ended up talking with these guys all night and having a great time. They were construction workers who just happened to stop in for one beer. Apparently Jason had insisted they weren't leaving until he met Stacey. _And the rest was fate_ she thought as she stood up and began cleaning the tops of the counters.

"I really need to call Stacey tonight and see how the big move went" Claudia muttered aloud. Last weekend, Jason was officially moving into Stacey's house. She was startled out of her thoughts by the phone ringing.

"Hello Cakes by Claudia!" she said into the phone.

"May I speak to Claudia Kishi please?"

Claudia frowned, the voice sounded vaguely familiar but she couldn't place it.

"This is Claudia? Can I help you?"

"I'm getting married in 11 months, and I need a wedding cake. We can discuss that later. My question is this. Do you know if it's proper for the bride to wear jeans, and a turtleneck with a sweater over it and a baseball hat with a picture of a collie on it?" The voice began laughing as Claudia screamed.

"Kristin Amanda Thomas! Are you telling me you are getting married?" shouted Claudia into the phone.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oof

"Oof!" yelled Claudia as she pitched forward onto the floor in her home. She slowly stood up and fumbled about until she found the light switch. As she blinked to allow her eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness, she looked around to see what she tripped over.

"Well there you are Crocker." She said affectionately as she picked up her orange cat and kissed the top of his head.

"Now where's your brother?" she asked as she carried him into the kitchen. She laughed as Crocker playfull tried to swat her earrings. "I bet he'll come running as soon as he hears the fridge open!"

Soon they were joined by a small gray tabby. Claudia picked up the kitten and rubbed under his chin.

"Hi Picasso, I'm going to get your dinner right now…"

She moved about the kitchen quickly throwing a sandwich together for herself and filling a bowl of cat food for the cats. She decided to sit down at her computer to check her email while she ate.

From: mywayonly

To: cakesbyclaudia

Subj: the dirt

Hey Claud! It's Kristy! This is my new email by the way and I will have access to my computer. Anyway, it was great talking to you today, I feel like we haven't really talked in years! I know we only chatted for a few minutes but it was great to hear your voice. Sorry I had to end our conversation so abruptly but I had to get back to the site.

Well you wanted the full story of Nigel and I so her goes. We were both assigned to the dig in New Mexico. He was actually a team leader from a group from Washington and I was there as part of another team from CT. Well as you know we were there a couple years and we just fell for each other. I really DIG him. (LOL, I am so damn funny!) The best part was that we were able to uncover some amazing artifacts from the dig which we believe are linked to the Mayan civilization. Ok. I'm boring you with work talk.

Anyway, he was raised in England but he really doesn't have family left so he and I will be moving back to Stoneybrook (We're both taking an 18 month sabbatical).

We should be back in about 3 weeks and I'd love if we could round up the old gang. It really has been too long. Then Nigel and I can come in and we can talk cakes. (By the way could you be any more UN-original with your dumb email address? Geez!) But please get ahold of everyone so that we can get together. I know some of us have drifted apart but it's not like anyone hates anyone else right? So that is your job. Miss you and see you soon!

Love, Kristy

P.S. Did I tell you that Nigel and I met up with Dawn a fer months ago? She kept trying to get us to take B-12 shots because we spend so much time in the darkness and dirt. What a weirdo! Then again, aren't all nutritionists? I mean they make it sound like a burger and fries is not a healthy meal! LOL.

Claudia smiled as she read through Kristy's email a second time. It might be fun to get everyone together. She hadn't seen Dawn, Mallory or Shannon in forever.

"Wow" said Claudia out loud. "I think the last time I saw Mary Anne was at Lucy Newton's graduation party!"

As she stood up to put her plate in the dishwasher she felt an unfamiliar pain in her stomach and her eyes fill up with tears. Slowly she sank to the ground and let the tears fall freely.

"Oh my God, the last time all of us were together Mark and I were planning on looking to buy a house together."

She stood up suddenly shaking thoughts of her ex-boyfriend from her head. She wasn't going to let that take over her thoughts again. She paused for a moment thinking of her old friends from school. As she thought of them, she realized how many were married or dating someone seriously. As she realized that she would be the only one of her friends not in a relationship she closed her eyes briefly.

She reached down to pick up Picasso.

"Hmm, maybe Betty's right. Maybe it is time I start dating again." She stared blankly at the wall as she thought of Mark. "Ok, it's been 5 years, I need to move on. I need to go out and meet people…But who-?"

She jumped as she heard her computer alert to her that she had mail. She walked slowly and checked her email.

From: mywayonly

To: cakesbyclaudia

Subj: One last thing

Before I forget, did I tell you Sam is back at home? His divorce was final about a month ago and he figured job opportunities were much better here then in St. Louis! I talked to my mom and she said he is bored out of his mind so I figure maybe when Nigel and I are back the 4 of us and whoever else is around can go grab some drinks?

Ciao!

-K


	3. Chapter 3

A few weeks later…

Mary Anne shook her hair loose from the pony tail holding it up and exited her car. As she opened the door into her home she was nearly knocked over by a Golden Retriever being chased by 2 young children.

"Mommy!" screamed 6 year old Sutton as she wrapped her arms around Mary Anne's legs.

"How's my angel?" replied Mary Anne as she picked up Sutton and kissed her.

"Are you taking us to school today Mom?" asked 8 year old Michael as a shock of dark hair fell into his eyes.

Just then a good looking man dressed in a suit came walking out of the kitchen. He leaned down to kiss his wife then stated, "How about Daddy takes you both to school and we'll let Mommy sleep? She's been at work for a long time!"

"I don't like those pajamas you are wearing, I like the ones with the hearts on them better!" pouted Sutton.

Mary Anne looked down at her faded green scrubs and grinned.

"They aren't pajamas you dumbo!" chided Michael. "They are called scrubs because she has to scrub babies when she is at work. "

"Mike, that is not nice to call your sister names." Scolded Mary Anne gently. "And honey, mommy is a neo-natal nurse; I take care of babies who are too little to go home. I have to give them medicine, feed them, and change their little diapers and yes, sometimes I bathe them, but I don't really "scrub" them."

"Ok you two, run upstairs brush your teeth, get your book bags and let's give mommy some peace and quiet!"

"Jeremy, I can take them if you want? I'm not that tired." Said Mary Anne as she wrapped her arms around her husband.

"Mary Anne, I drive by their school on the way to work just let me take them? Besides there is a pile of mail waiting for you to go through." He kissed the tip of her nose and playfully swatted her behind.

Mary Anne kissed her husband and children goodbye and watched out the window as he loaded them into his SUV. It was hard to believe they were approaching their 10 year wedding anniversary.

She had met Jeremy completely by chance. Ten years ago during her nursing rotations she had been working on the geriatric ward. Jeremy had been there visiting his Grandma who was recovering from a broken hip. They got to talking and after a whirlwind courtship they had gotten married. He was an advertising executive now which allowed him to work from home sometimes. She had switched to nights at the hospital once Sutton started school so she could be there when they got home from school.

With a huge sigh she walked over to the counter where the mail sat. Tossing aside some catalogs she wrinkled her nose as she opened the Visa bill. The charges from their recent trip to Disney World had finally appeared. As she wrote out a check and quickly balanced the checkbook she noticed a pale yellow envelope peeking out from under a catalog. She tore open the envelope and squealed as she read:

Mary Anne-

I just wanted to drop you a quick note since you NEVER email me back. (How can you not email in this day and age? Get with the program! HA HA) Kristy is coming back to Stoneybrook with her (Ready for this?) fiancé Nigel. I'm trying to get everyone together for dinner, drinks etc. It's been forever since we've gotten together, I think the last time I saw Sutton she was just starting to walk. In any case let me know if you (and the family) are available next month for a get together. Maybe we could all make a long weekend out of it? Email me, call me, write me, send a smoke signal I don't care, just let me know!

Luv,

Claudia

P.S. I have enclosed some business cards in case any of your fellow nurses need a wedding cake.

Mary Anne read the note a second time then quickly picked up the phone to call Jeremy.

"Jeremy! Guess what? My old friend Claudia just sent me a letter. All of my old friends are getting together in Stoneybrook next month. Can you can time off work?" asked Mary Anne excitedly.

Jeremy grinned as he listened to his wife's rambling. "Sounds great baby. I can get time off no problem."

"Really?" cried Mary Anne. "I can't wait to see everyone. But just one thing. Can you walk me through how to send Claudia an email?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Thank you for calling Cakes by Claudia…Where we can make your wedding a dream with flour, sugar and butter cream. This is Betty. How may I help you?" Chanted Betty into the phone.

Claudia bit her lip to keep from laughing at Betty's way of answering the phone_. I honestly think that woman is on drugs sometimes._ she thought to herself. She hummed quietly to herself as she put together a list for the next order they were about to make.

"Claudia!" Yelled Betty. "My God, child do you not listen when I call your name?"

Betty shook her finger at Claudia who stared blankly back at her. "There is a Ms. Wakefield on the phone for you."

"Betty, I have no clue who that is. Can you just take a message and I'll call them later? I want to get this order in before noon…" Claudia let her voice trail off as she realized Betty had stopped listening and had in fact walked into her office.

"Claudia here. How can I help you?" She frowned as she realized she had the called on speakerphone and was unable to turn it off.

"Claudia? This is Jessica. Well Jessi as you know me…" The voice on the other end giggled nervously.

"Jessi Ramsey? No kidding!" cried Claudia in disbelief.

"Well it's Jessica Wakefield now. Terrance and I eloped last spring!"

"Do you mean to tell me that your married name is Jessica Wakefield? Like from the Sweet Valley High books?" exclaimed Claudia as she laughed until she cried.

"Gee thanks Claud, I've never heard that joke before…" remarked Jessi sarcastically.

"I'm sorry. I just thought…I, well, I." Claudia stammered nervously. "So what can I do for you? Did you need a post-elopement cake?"

"Relax, it's ok, I'm just giving you a hard time." Replied Jessi softly. "I actually wanted to get a hold of you. I heard that you are organizing the old crew from the BSC back in Stoneybrook soon? I wanted to be sure you had my info because I would love to see everyone."

"Oh, of course!" said Claudia. "I didn't know where to send your invite so I sent it to your parents' home hoping they could track you down…"

"Actually Mary Anne told me about it. " replied Jessi. "You know that we work at the same hospital right? Every now and then I'll see her in the cafeteria. Well last week I saw her and she filled me in so let me give you my phone number and email address."

Claudia quickly jotted down the info all the while trying to prevent her brow from wrinkling in confusion. "So you are a nurse too?" She asked hesitantly.

"No, I'm an Occupational Therapist. When I tore my calf muscle senior year I knew my dreams of dancing were over. As I began going through the therapy I realized it was something that interested me." Jessi paused. "Then again you might know this had you ever called me back..."

Claudia sighed and took a deep breath. "Look Jessi, I'm sorry if I didn't reply to you. It wasn't because I didn't care; I was just at a point in my life where I was too wrapped up in myself to put effort into others. I feel awful about it, which is why I am trying to get everyone together for Kristy's sake. It's not a time of my life that I'm proud of."

"I just wish you would have realized that your friends always stood behind you even if you were too blind to see us there. Look, Just keep me on the list and let me know when or where ok Claudia? I have to run. Bye!'

Claudia stared blankly into the phone which was now buzzing with the sound of a dial tone. She saw a shadow dart past her.

"Betty!" she called. "Stop pretending you didn't hear that whole conversation. How about you get in here and help me try to figure out how to straighten this mess out?"

Betty peered around the corner with a guilty look on her face. She was glad Claudia wasn't too angry for eavesdropping.

"Honey, your friends still care about you, even the ones you blew off when you were with Mark. The only thing you can do is make amends, welcome your friends back into your life and put the bad parts of your past behind you. Most of your other friends have forgiven you; it's just a few that you still have some kinks to work out."

Claudia stood up and wrapped her arms around Betty breathing in her familiar Orchid perfume.

"Thanks Betty, Now can you also get me a date for this get together next week?"

Betty looked at Claudia with a twinkle in her eye. "Now that you mention it. A nice man just moved into my neighborhood. I took him some of my Apple dumpling cake to welcome him."

Claudia looked up a small smile twitching at her lips. "Is he single? Good looking? Able to fall in love with me by next week?"

"He is nice looking. I haven't seen any women over there. He's probably around 30-31 years old. It's interesting because he was telling me he is from a large family and is actually 1 of a set of male triplets."" Exclaimed Betty not noticing Claudia's face turn into a look of disgust. "Now what was his name? Andrew? No…Adam. That was it Adam."

"Betty!" wailed Claudia. "That is Adam Pike who is the younger brother of one of the girls I used to be friends with. I used to baby-sit FOR him. UGH. He's not boyfriend material, he's...I don't know what he is!"

Betty clucked her tongue at Claudia as she walked out of the room. Before she exited she turned to say "You know for a little girl who is desperate to find a date, maybe you shouldn't be so damn picky…"

Claudia sank down in her chair. "I am not too damn picky" she muttered her feelings wounded. "But Adam Pike?!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh my Lord, Stacey! Please tell me you and Jason can come down early Friday and be the first ones at the bar with me so I don't have to sit there by myself and wait for everyone to arrive with their…" Claudia paused before spitting out, "significant others."

Stacey grinned as she listened to Claudia's rantings on the other end of the phone.

"I mean it's bad enough that Jessi, excuse me JESSICA ripped me a new one the other day but to find out that I will be the only one there who is single makes me cranky! Besides that, what was I thinking agreeing to host a brunch for everyone and their little brats on Sunday? Was I drunk when I agreed to this? Speaking of drunk, would it be bad if I got really drunk and started flirting with Scott? He is yummy!"

"Ok Claud. You have just crossed the line into completely psycho." Insisted Stacey. "Yes, Jason and I will be there early, in fact we will come to your house and pick you up. On Saturday, if you want, we'll come over and I can help you get stuff ready for Sunday. Jason can just watch the game on tv while we work. He and I are having dinner with my mom and Warren late Saturday night. Now will you please bring back my best friend Claudia and get rid of this lunatic who is talking?" Said Stacey as she repositioned herself into a more comfortable position.

"I'm sorry, it's just this whole being single thing has really gotten me down lately. I let Mark mess up my mind for way too long. I feel like I am ready to move on, but I still have that wall up against men. Plus I really need sex. I haven't had it in 3 years!" Claudia exclaimed. "Stacey? Stace? You there?"

"Sorry, I dropped the phone. Seriously? Three years?" gasped Stacey. She then realized the other end of the phone had gone silent. "Ok, new subject. Who else did you hear from?"

"Look Stace, you can get the scoop from everyone Friday ok? I have to go figure out menus and confirm reservations with the bar. I'll catch you guys Friday ok? Love you!" Chirped Claudia as she hung up the phone.

Claudia sighed then looked around her home. _Who would have thought that slobby Kishi would actually have a clean house? _She thought with a grin. She sat down on the couch and turned on the tv as Picasso and Crocker curled up next to her. She grinned as she realized an old movie was on featuring Cam Geary. After watching for a few minutes she entered her basement, searched her shelves and carefully carried a box back upstairs.

The first item she pulled out of the box was a picture of a smiling dark-blonde haired guy with his arm around a pretty, petite blonde who was visibly pregnant. Two small children were hugging their knees wearing Santa hats. Scrawled across the front of the card was Merry Christmas from the Bruno Family. Claudia hadn't seen Logan since his wedding to Julie almost 7 years ago. She and Mark had attended with most of the rest of their high school friends. They were enthralled with Julie and loved how well she fit into their group of friends. Logan had attended Western Michigan University on a baseball scholarship while pursuing a degree in high school education. He had met Julie at a fraternity party one night and they were inseparable ever since. The two of them had settled in Vermont and had started a family soon after marrying.

Still smiling, she reached into the box and pulled out a water globe with the Eiffel Tower in it. An envelope was attached to it and as she read the letter she grinned although somewhat wistfully.

_Hey Claudia,_

_I had to send you something gaudy from Paris! That's right I'm in Paris! Just for a week. Andy surprised me and flew us out here just for the hell of it. (Dating a pilot has its advantages.) I just wanted to let you know that everything is going perfectly with him and I never would have met him if it hadn't been for you being late as usual. Ha ha ha. Miss you lots and let's grab lunch or something when I get back into town?_

_Love, Shanny _

Claudia remembered a couple years ago, she had an invitation to attend a conference in Chicago. She had called Shannon who lived in a suburb close to Chicago and asked if she could stay with her. Shannon had offered to pick her up at the airport; however since she missed her flight she landed almost 3 hours after she had originally planned. Shannon meanwhile had sat at an airport bar waiting and had ended up meeting a gorgeous, single pilot who happened to be from the area. They had been together ever since. Claudia laughed as she remembered how drunk Shannon was by the time she arrived and how she ended up driving back to Shannon's house trying to interpret Shannon's slurred directions.

She then pulled out an obituary and felt tears well up as she read through it.

**Mrs. Dee Pike (nee Rogers) died peacefully at home surrounded by family at the age of 48. She is survived by her loving husband, Steve, her children Mallory, Byron (Candice), Jordan (Jennifer), Adam, Nicholas, Vanessa (David), Margo, Claire as well as 6 grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations are accepted to Hospice and the American Cancer Society. **

She felt horrible for the Pike family. Mrs. Pike had been their rock, their glue that kept them together. She remembered running into Mallory at the grocery store about 3 years ago and Mallory had brought up how her mother had been feeling under the weather. By the time she went to the doctor the cancer had spread everywhere. Hospice came in and shortly after, she had succumbed to the disease. Soon after Mallory had left college and moved back to Stoneybrook to try and help her father take care of everyone. Mallory had sent her a quick email stating that she was manager at a bookstore nearby and had met a nice man there who she would be bringing with her on Friday.

Wiping away her tears she stumbled across a birth announcement that made her laugh. It showed a red faced little baby boy with a mop of dark curly hair.

**Please join Anna & Elliot Gordon in welcoming the birth of their son: Stephen Gale Gordon. 7lbs 9 oz.**

**Stephen would not have been possible without the selfless act of love by Abigail Stevenson-Cartwright. **

Claudia admitted she herself had been surprised to hear that Abby had agreed to be a surrogate for her sister and brother in law. Apparently, Abby hadn't even considered saying no. She knew her twin's dream of having a family and when that was found to not be possible, Abby stepped right up.

Abby took it all in stride though. She bounced back after and made sure to be an active part of Stephen's life. _Of course, Daniel probably had nothing to do with that._ Mused Claudia thinking of Abby's husband. Abby had been rollerblading and listening to her headphones and didn't notice that the person in front of her had stopped. She crashed into him full force knocking him to the ground next to her. She had panicked at first thinking she was bleeding everywhere until she realized she had fallen on a box of his jelly doughnuts. She let him help her up and realized he was a police officer. As she put two and two together she laughed hysterically causing herself to fall again. She finally used her quick wit regarding the age old "cop with doughnuts" routine and to her surprise he not only laughed with her but asked her out for coffee.

Claudia grinned as she thought of her friends. It was true she had kept in touch with some better than others but maybe this weekend would be her opportunity to mend some fences. Maybe it would help her attitude towards men as well…


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey Claudia

"Hey Claudia! It's great to see you!" said Pete warmly as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "First round of drinks are on the house. After all, what would a Baby-sitter's Club reunion be without you girls getting sloshed and falling all over the place?"

Pete laughed good-naturedly as Claudia and Stacey swung their purses at him in mock anger. Claudia was glad she had remained on good terms with Pete Black. He was owner of The Thirsty Camel, which was one of the most popular bars in Stoneybrook. The Thirsty Camel was a large sports bar that featured karaoke contests, nightly specials, great food and even a dance floor for the weekend. As they followed Pete back to one of the back rooms Stacey whispered to Claudia,

"Why don't you go out with Pete? He's hot, fun, well off and you've known him forever!"

Claudia laughed as she though of how she and Pete had decided to try a no strings attached relationship after Mark. It had worked out well for about 3 weeks before Claudia realized that many other girls had the same arrangement with him.

"Pete is too busy banging his wait staff and besides shush or he'll hear you!" As much as she wanted to hate him, she realized they never were in a relationship, and Pete had actually become a pretty good friend over the years. She had helped him with designing an Egyptian mural on one of the walls while he advertised her business on his coasters.

Claudia looked around the room and was pleased to discover it was set up exactly how she imagined. Jason was already helping himself to chicken wings and nachos while trying to place drink orders for the three of them. As soon as Claudia placed her order, she turned to see a tall girl with short reddish brown hair and bright blue eyes clutching the hand of a man in his late 40s-early 50s.

"Mallory!" exclaimed Stacey with a smile. "It's so good to see you! I can't believe how much you've changed since I've seen you last!"

Mallory smiled shyly as she let herself be hug by Stacey then again by Claudia.

"Claudia, Stacey, this is my boyfriend Roger." She said as she looked up adoringly into Rogers's eyes.

Stacey recovered from her shock first as she reached out to shake Roger's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Roger. I'd like to introduce you to my boyfriend Jason. He's say hello but he's been cramming his mouth full of nachos since we got here!" Claudia smiled as she listened to Stacey laugh. She tried to inconspicuously steal glances at Roger and was dismayed to see he had a receding hairline, a pot belly, and was wearing a cardigan.

"I didn't know you were hiring chaperones.." Claudia jumped at the voice whispering in her ear.

"Shannon!" she screamed throwing her arms around the petite blonde. "When did you guys get in?" She reached over to hug Andy as well.

Soon after Logan & Julie came in, followed by Jessi and Terrance. Claudia was instantly annoyed as she watched Jessi greet everyone warmly but merely nod in her direction. Before she could get too upset Abby, Anna, Daniel & Elliot walked in together. As everyone began greeting one another and new introductions were made, a tall, very athletic, blonde swept into the room followed by a man with long blonde hair, goatee and deep green eyes.

"I don't suppose you have anything healthy to eat do you? I guess Scott and I will have to run next door for a salad?"

"Dawn!" screamed Stacey as she ran over to hug her.

Soon the sound of laughter and conversation and introductions was so loud that they almost didn't hear the sounds of a woman crying.

Everyone turned to see a petite brunette with shoulder length brown hair sobbing holding onto the hand of a good looking man whose face was red in embarrassment.

"She's kind of emotional at seeing everyone…" he admitted sheepishly.

"Awwwww, Mary Anne!" chorused the room. They went over to give her a group hug as an ear piercing whistle nearly shattered their eardrums.

"I thought this was a celebration, not a sob fest!" yelled out a pint size woman with long brown hair. She had her hands on her hips and was looking around the room sternly. A very tall, nice looking man with long, brown hair tied neatly in a low ponytail came in behind her. "Well love, I guess you've announced our presence! Hullo all, I'm Nigel, the fantastic fiancé of this brilliant beauty,"

"My God…" whispered Claudia to Shannon. "They are clones. I don't believe it!"

"Wow." Muttered Stacey. "I could listen to that accent all day long!"

"OOF!" groaned Claudia as she received a fierce bear hug from Kristy followed by a rib cracking hug that lifted her off the ground from Nigel.

"What's to eat? I need to order a beer. By the way my brother Sam is here too. He had to take a leak though." Said Kristy her brown eyes darting back and forth at the group of people.

"There he is!" boomed Nigel. "Did you drain the ol' pipe Sammy-boy?"

Claudia looked up and saw Sam Thomas grin sheepishly and try to fight the blush creeping up his neck. Before she could stop herself she ran over and gave him a quick hug.

"Sam! It's great to see you! It's been years but….welcome home!" Claudia groaned as she realized the reason for Sam's homecoming was not a pleasant one.

"Thanks Claud, it's good to be back. Even if my sister has managed to find the one person more obnoxious than her to marry and bring home to live with us all." He grinned and Claudia couldn't help grinning in response. As she pointed to the waitress who was taking drink orders she hurried over to where Stacey and Jason were.

"Has Sam always been that cute? Or am I so in need of sex that anything looks good? I mean, he has those amazing eyes, and that curly hair and those little freckles on his nose. Not to mention hello nice body!" gabbed Claudia as she quickly finished her vodka tonic and held up her glass signaling to the waitress to order another.

"Well He's always been cute, I mean 20 years ago when he and I dated for 5 weeks I thought he was adorable. At 13, I really saw a future for us." Stacey said with a wry smile, laughing as Claudia stuck her tongue out at her.

"Who'd you date? I'll kick his ass!" muttered Jason turning away from the conversation he was having with Andy and Elliot.

"Oh shut up Mr. Macho. It was a million years ago. Go back to your discussion about sports." Retorted Stacey.

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Several hours later, Claudia came out of her stall in the bathroom only to come face to face with Jessi.

"Jessi! Ca! Jessica! Hi! I haven't had a chance to really talk to you yet tonight. I talked to Terrance, he is a wonderful man. I'm glad you two are so happy and that your kids get along." Claudia knew she was babbling but the drinks she had were taking their effect on her.

Jessica stared at Claudia and raised one eyebrow. Her face relaxed into a smile as she leaned forward to give Claudia a hug.

"Thanks for organizing this Claud, it's great to see everyone. I have pictures of the kids do you want to see?" said Jessi as she dragged Claudia over to the sinks.

"This is Destiny, she's 12, and this is Terrance's daughter Shelby, she's 8. This handsome man is Terrance Jr, he's 4" She said proudly as Claudia exclaimed over the pictures.

"Look, Jessica, I'm sorry about everything. I know I owe you, Mallory, Dawn, Abby, hell everyone an apology for becoming so wrapped up in myself and well…Mark. But what he put me through was-"

Jessica held up her hand to stop Claudia.

"Look, I know the story. I'm sorry I was hard on you. It's just hard for me to understand why someone as strong as you could get caught up in that. Let's just put it behind us. Ok?"

"Thank you Jessica!" whispered Claudia as she let herself be hugged.

"Claudia? Call me Jessi."

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"Okay everyone are you ready?" yelled Nigel as he stood on his chair with a shot held high in the air.

The group giggled as they tried to follow Nigel in singing a famous English drinking song. At the end of the song they all downed a shot of whiskey much to the delight of Nigel and Kristy, but to the disgust of many others.

"I can't do that again!" groaned Mary Anne as she settled down on Jeremy lap. Just then a popular song began playing as Jessi & Mallory sang the lyrics on the karaoke screen.

"Let's dance!" she squealed dragging random people to the dance floor. Claudia laughed as she danced and sang along relishing the moment of being with her friends.

"Who wants to sing an old school U4ME song with me?" yelled Dawn as she flipped through a Karaoke book looking for a song.

"I hate that gay ass group!" groaned Sam. "C'mon Claud, let's you and me go do a shot. If I hear one of those songs I may puke."

Claudia grinned as she led herself be led up to the bar by Sam. She couldn't believe how much in common they had. She had never really gotten a chance to talk to Sam and now the more she drank the more she found she had to say. Pete grinned at them as he poured them a shot and then one for himself.

"To rekindling old friendships!" called Sam as he toasted his shot glass to theirs.

"Old friendsips!" Claudia echoed as she downed her shot grinning at Pete with a lemon slice between her teeth.

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"Oooooh, ouch…Why is my phone ringing so damn early?" Claudia groaned as she reached for her phone on the nightstand. "Hello?" She croaked.

"You sound like I'm feeling." Groaned Stacey. "Just wanted to tell you that we will not be over at 11 to help you get ready for tomorrow. More like 1 ok? I think I'm going to puke now so I'll see you later."

"Mrphsnetjh" muttered Claudia in reply as she closed her phone then buried her face in her pillow.

_Why did I not put on my pajamas last night? _She wondered as she felt her naked body press up against the sheets.

"Who was on the phone?"

Claudia gasped and jumped at sound of the voice. She quickly sat up wincing at the pain in her head as she looked to her right. She closed her eyes weakly after viewing the man laying there with his arm over his eyes. _What the hell happened last night? How drunk was I? How drunk was he?_

"Hi there Sam…."


	7. Chapter 7

"Well good morning Claudia

"Well good morning Claudia!" said Sam grinning as he struggled to sit up. "Does your head hurt as bad as mine?"

Claudia sighed and closed her eyes briefly as she mumbled a response. _Oh my Lord, Sam Thomas? What in the hell was I thinking?_

"Ok, I'm going to take a quick shower so…" Claudia let the comment trail off hoping Sam would understand that she was hinting for him to make a quick exit.

"Ok," replied Sam flashing a quick grin. "Just point me towards the kitchen and I'll have breakfast ready for you when you get out." He laughed enjoying her discomfort at him still being there. "I assume you do have regular food?"

Claudia nodded too shocked to speak. She reached to her floor and found a t-shirt she was able to slip on and ran into her adjoining bathroom. As she let the hot water wash over her she struggled to piece together the night."Shit!" she yelled hitting the wall of her shower. She then remembered doing shots and slow dancing with Sam near the end of the night before whispering suggestively in his ear. Once they were at her place, it didn't take long for them to find their way into her bedroom. She shook her head slowly as she felt her cheeks redden.

About 15 minutes later she crept cautiously into the kitchen dressed in a pair of jeans and a Tshirt. She couldn't help but smile as Sam stood at the stove flipping pancakes in the air and catching them on the plate.

"Well I made pancakes, sausage, toast, and of course fresh orange juice!" Same claimed proudly.

"Freshly squeezed orange juice? Wow, I didn't even think I had oranges. I'm impressed. It all looks wonderful!" Claudia replied getting out silverware.

"Who said anything about freshly squeezed? I said fresh, which means I opened a new carton and poured it into two glasses." Sam replied turning the burner off and carrying the plates of food over to the table.

Claudia sat down and nervously chewed on a piece of bacon. She stole a glance at Sam and saw him pouring syrup over his pancakes with gusto. He saw her looking at him and set the syrup down.

"Claudia look, we can both be completely weird around each other and have everything be awkward and dumb. Or we can accept the fact that we are two SINGLE adults who had a great time last night, had an even better time when we got back to your place…" He winked as Claudia blushed. "and who are now enjoying a deliciously prepared breakfast which could give IHOP a run for their money."

He stared at Claudia and was happy to see her relax a little. "Seriously Claud, I had a great time last night. My life hasn't been a whole lot of fun lately after splitting from Lisa and it was great to be out with a bunch of friends and have a good time. Plus, I'd have to say that we have some wicked chemistry. Who knew that you were such a wild woman in the sack!" He wiggled his eyebrows her as she burst out laughing. "Now what's on the agenda today?"

As she poured syrup over her pancakes she filled Sam in on how Stacey and Jason were coming over to help get things ready for the brunch the next day. As they sat there and talked she found herself empathizing with him as he filled her in on his marriage and divorce.

"So basically, we were just as different places. Literally. She was at her new boyfriend's house and I was at home with the dog." Sam finshed wryly.

"I'm really sorry she cheated on you Sam." Claudia said quietly. "I know how hard it is when the person you love and trust the most hurts you."

Sam reached across the table and held her hand. "I heard bits and pieces about Mark. I never actually heard the whole story though…" He trailed off hoping she would feel comfortable enough to talk about it.

Claudia took a deep breath as she realized that she did want Sam to know. She helped herself to another pancake as she started her story.

"I'll give you the brief version because there is just not enough time before they get here for the whole sage. Basically I met him in a dart league I was on. We hit it off and everything was perfect. My one true love, man I'm supposed to be with blah blah blah. We had decided to actually buy a house together. I had been giving him money to put into an account for us so that we could have a great down payment. He was an investment banker so I figured he knew what he was doing. Well what I didn't know was that he had a major gambling addiction as well as a serious cocaine habit. I knew he gambled a bit, I mean we had gone to Vegas a few times and I was a little concerned with how much he lost but I chalked it up to being that we were on an adventure in a new city…"

She paused as her eyes filled up with tears. She stood up to start clearing the table then stopped when Sam grabbed her hands and pulled her to him wrapping his arms around her.

"I don't know how I didn't know about the drugs. I think I was just blind to it. Then the one day the police came looking for him and took me in for questioning. I didn't think they believed me when I said I didn't know anything. It wasn't until he was arrested that I realized how much he had been using me. He depleted my entire savings and really messed up my credit. He was arrested for possession and credit fraud and I had to testify against him. Even when they handcuffed him and were leading him away he turned to me and told me he loved me and to wait for him and I told him I loved him. I honestly planned to wait for him. How could I have been so stupid?"

Sam stroked Claudia's hair and held her until she stopped crying. "It sounds to me like you are confusing the word stupid with optimistic Claudia. How can you fault yourself because you loved someone unconditionally? Is a parent stupid because they still love their child even when they are being tried for murder? Mark was your world and you naturally saw the good in him. I am so sorry he put you through that. I'm sorry he cleaned out your account but mostly I'm sorry that you've been beating yourself up over this for like 10 years when you did nothing wrong except love someone."

Claudia closed her eyes and felt a warmth run through her body as she processed what Sam had said. _Why have I been blaming myself? She_ thought.

She turned around and gave Sam a hug whispering thank you as she resumed clearing the table.

The time quickly flew by as they got into an all out water fight while washing the dishes which led to both of them slipping on the water and landing in a heap on the floor. They both gasped in surprise as the doorbell rang not realizing that the whole morning had passed. They ran giggling as they tried to push each other out of the way to open the door.

"Hey Claud? Why do you have soapsuds in your hair?" asked Stacey as she walked through the door carrying a few bags of groceries.

She stopped short at the sight of Sam standing there in boxer and a t-shirt causing Jason to crash into the back of her.

"Hey man what's up?" said Jason good naturedly hitting Sam on the arm seemingly oblivious to the fact that Stacey was not expecting Sam's presence. "I brought some beer over. I figured hair of the dog right? Best thing for a hangover?"

As the guys walked into the family room to turn on the game Claudia quickly ushered Stacey into the kitchen.

"You had sex!" whispered Stacey laughing. "I haven't seen that smile in a long time! How did this happen? Do you like him? Oh my God! That's why you sounded so weird on the phone when I called this morning!"

Claudia laughed. "We just had a lot of fun. I didn't even remember what happened last night. I don't know that it's anything so don't make a big deal about it. But I did invite him over tomorrow."

"Whoa! What is Kristy going to think?" wondered Stacey aloud.

"Kristy won't have to wonder because it's no big deal. It won't phase anyone if he's at the brunch tomorrow." Said Claudia confidently. "I'd die if she knew we slept together!:

"Did you guys take a cab to get back? I didn't see Sam's car out there?" asked Stacey as she began unloading the bags of food she had.

"Hmmm, I have no frickin' clue. I was hammered." Said Claudia as she walked towards the family room. "Hey Sam? How'd we get back here last night?"

Sam turned away from the tv and grinned at Claudia his eyes twinkling. "Ha! You don't remember? We got a ride from my charming sister and her obnoxious fiancé."

He laughed as Stacey burst out laughing and Claudia covered her face with her hands.


	8. Chapter 8

"Claudia

"Claudia! It is so good to see you!" said Edie Brewer as she hugged her tightly. "I was just telling Watson that it seems like only yesterday when all of you girls used to have your slumber parties here." She watched Sam walk into the house and clucked her tongue.

"speaking of slumber parties…son, so nice of you to actually come home and say hello to your old mother."

Sam grinned before kissing his mom on her cheek.

"Hey mom, a guy's gotta have some fun right?" With a wink at Claudia he ran upstairs to change as Kristy and Nigel came thundering down the stairs.

"So Claudee, are you all done shagging Sammy-boy?" boomed Nigel as he gave Claudia a bone crushing hug.

Claudia groaned as Mrs. Brewer clucked her tongue again then walked into the kitchen.

Kristy linked her arms through Claudia's and led her into the kitchen.

"Really Claudia, all the guys in the world and you have to get with Sam? I guess we all were pretty drunk though." Kristy sighed as she turned to her friend. "Look, it's cool that you invited him to hang out with me, Nigel, Shannon and Andy but you don't have to be nice to him just because he's my brother."

"It's not a problem Kristy. I really like him…um I mean hanging out with him. We had a lot of fun with Stacey and Jason today so don't worry about it." Claudia flushed under Kristy's piercing stare and hurried into the kitchen.

"Claudia! I haven't seen you in so long!" called out a thin, young man with a serious face. He gestured proudly to the man sitting next to him. "I'd like to introduce you to my boyfriend Gary."

"Well Hi Andrew! I didn't expect to see you here!" she responded hiding her surprise. "Gary? I'm Claudia, very nice to meet you."

"Well we wanted to come in to see Kristy and Nigel and Gary has only been to Stoneybrook a few times so we figured we'd make a vacation out of it. Plus we thought we'd head over to Boston and visit Karen for a few days."

"We're just about to play Scrabble with Edie and Watson if you'd like to play?" asked Gary smiling warmly at Claudia.

"Oh, thank you but spelling really isn't my forte. We are actually heading out if you guys wanted join us?"

"That's right ol' Gary boy, how 'bout you and Andy come throw back some pints with us?"

Gary laughed and explained that they might head out a little later as Sam came down the stairs, his hair still damp from his shower.

"See you later mum & daddio! " called out Nigel to Kristy's parents. as they walked out the door. "We'd best be seeing you boys later!"

"Do you have to yell all the time?" remarked Sam to Nigel as they got in the car. "I grew up with Krusty the human megaphone; I can't believe we are adding another loud mouth to the family."

As they drove to The Rusty Nail, Sam and Nigel argued over rugby vs. football while Kristy filled Claudia in on her family. Claudia learned how Emily Michelle was thriving at the University Connecticut where she was an active member in a sorority as well as co-captain of the dance team.

David Michael was doing well as an Engineer. He was living just a few hours away with his wife, Cara and their daughter, Lola. Charlie and his wife were busy racing to soccer games, dance classes and art lessons. Charlie was a financial planner and his wife helped out with a catering company. They had 3 children, the oldest about to turn 13.

"Did you tell her about Karen?" chimed in Nigel.

"I was just getting to that, ass." Replied Kristy before leaning into the front seat to give him a kiss.

"My dear sister Karen, who is currently 2 semesters away from a Masters degree in Social Work, decided that she wants to join the Peace Corp and move to Cambodia."

"You have got to be shitting me!" cried Claudia.

"Nope, I'm hoping Andrew can talk some sense into her. She tends to listen to him. Speaking of which, he and Gary just celebrated their 2 year anniversary. My mom is so happy he found someone. I know his real father Seth and Watson are having some issues with it still but they are both coming around. Oh look there's Shannon!" Said Kristy waving out the window.

They ran to catch up to Shannon and Andy and caught a table near the back of the bar. Soon a cute, petite waitress came over to take their order. At the sight of the table, the waitress stopped.

"Oh my God.! It's you! Do you guys remember me? You used to babysit for me and my sister Andrea all the time! It's me! Jenny Prezzioso!"

The girls stood up and all gave Jenny a hug as questions began flowing. After Jenny left to get their drinks the girls began gossiping.

"Who would have thought that the angel would drop out of college and work in a dive bar?" said Shannon giggling. "Plus to have Andrea breezing through medical school. Wow!"

Almost two hours later, as Claudia was wiping away tears of laughter from Andy's stories of unruly passengers she noticed Stacey and Jason walking towards them.

"Stacey claims she's still hungover to have a drink but after a 2 hour dinner with her mom and Warren, I need a drink." Said Jason flopping into a chair with mock exhaustion.

"Shut up! My mom's not bad. Warren is just….Warren." Stacey let her sentence trail off as she wrinkled her nose at the thought of her mother's boyfriend.. "On second thought maybe a Captain and diet coke might help out my headache."

"Hey look you guys!" called Shannon pointing to the TV. "There that ad for that new movie with Derek Masters."

"Wow, I thought his career was over after that sex tape was found…" chimed in Kristy as they began talking some more of their former babysitting charges.

"How many are coming tomorrow anyway Claudia?" Asked Sam as he signaled to Jenny to bring another round. "I just want to know if it's ok to give the kids the mimosas. Maybe the champagne will calm them down."

As the group laughed Kristy raised her eyebrow at Claudia. Claudia pretended not to notice as she leaned across the table to look at Shannon's ring.

"So Sam is coming tomorrow?" Hissed Kristy under her breath oblivious to the fact that Sam was listening to the whole conversation..

"Yes, Stacey, Jason, Sam and I made all the food today." said Claudia. "You said it was important for him to be around friends."

"There is a difference between being around him and being on top of him Claudia." Said Kristy leaning back and crossing her arms.

"Whoa love, that was quite a barb there!" said Nigel good-naturedly putting his arm around Kristy's shoulders. Kristy shook his arm off as the entire table turned to watch the scene unfold.

"Kristy what is your deal? Seriously? Do you not want Sam there?" asked Claudia biting her lip and trying to calm down before she let her temper get the best of her. She shook her head as Sam went to rest his hand on her leg.

"My deal is that I want to know what the hell you expect to make of this? You were one of my best friends growing up and Sam is my brother. This isn't like when we were 13 and he and Stacey liked each other!" yelled Kristy half standing up out of her chair.

"Oh my God, can we all just forget about that? That was 20 years ago!" moaned Stacey as she turned red and hung her head as Jason and Andy laughed and Sam winked at her.

"Look Kristy." began Sam. "Claudia and I have been having a great time getting to know each other. It's nice to have someone to talk to and who appreciates my sense of humor. Why can't you let us just hang out and see what happens?"

Kristy looked from Claudia to Sam and slowly sat back down a small smile playing at her lips.

"So you guys really like each other eh? One of my best friend's is banging my brother?"

Nigel burst out laughing as Claudia buried her face in her hands with Sam rubbing her head affectionately.

"Kristy, you really have a way with words!" said Shannon wryly.

"And so do I!" bellowed Nigel. "Hullo barmaid? Bring us 8 pints. I've got to teach these wankers a new song!"


	9. Chapter 9

"Say does my nose detect a wafting of bangers

"Say does my nose detect a wafting of bangers?" Called out Nigel as he sniffed over Claudia's shoulder.

Claudia grimaced as she tried to blow some stray hairs out of her eyes as she reached in the oven to pull out a tray of mini-quiches. She stepped backwards with the tray, stepping on Nigel's foot in the process.

"Dammit Nigel!" She cried. "You are driving me batty! Batty, Bonkers, Bananas all of them, take your pick. Every time I turn around I step on you. You are worse than the cats. And what in the hell are bangers? Better yet, I'm in no mood to hear one of your sick perverted jokes."

"Wow, somebody woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning." commented Stacey dryly as she mixed together a pitcher of mimosas.

"I'm sorry, it's just there are going to be like 45 people in my house and my backyard and I want the food to taste perfect. I spent all morning on the cakes including individual cakes for all the kids and I just sometimes feel like no one understands the mind of a chef." Claudia sighed.

"Really love." said Nigel as he kissed her cheek. "Everything just smells delightful and I was hoping to have a taste before it got crazy in here. No need to yell at me. I think you're top notch."

Kristy laughed as she shoved a mini-quiche in his mouth. She pushed him out of Claudia's way and shuddered as he poured himself a glass of tomato juice.

"Just so you know, bangers are sausage, rashers are bacon and-" She gagged as she watched Nigel crack a raw egg into his tomato juice. "That is a Red Eye, his famous hangover cure. It makes me vomit instantly but to each his own."

Claudia & Stacey shuddered inwardly as they watched him drink his concoction in 2 swallows. They continued to busy themselves around the kitchen slicing ham, arranging bagels and rolls on plates, lighting chafing dishes filled with breakfast meats, eggs, and potatoes. As Stacey & Kristy continued to arrange food around the tables, Claudia ran upstairs to change. She put her hair up in twist, and put on a pair of tight fighting black pants and a red, white and black patterned shirt. She quickly applied eye makeup and lip gloss and was downstairs by the time the first official guests had arrived.

In about half hours time, everyone had arrived and Claudia barely had time to breathe. She ran into the kitchen to look for napkins and nearly screamed when a hand pulled her into her pantry. She hit Sam lightly on the chest as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

"I missed not waking up next to you." He whispered huskily in her ear.

Claudia felt herself grow warm as her fingers twirled through his hair. She began to kiss him more passionately as he quickly unbuttoned her shirt. She tugged at his belt trying to loosen it when suddenly the door opened and they toppled out into the kitchen much to the amusement of Shannon, Stacey, Nigel, Jason, Abby, and Logan.

"I didn't know that was on the menu today…" bellowed out Nigel grabbing Sam in a headlock giving him noogies as they walked out the door wall.

"We were just, um looking for napkins and the door got stuck." Murmured Claudia trying to control the blush that was taking over her face.

"I understand that Claud." Piped in Abby. "Usually when I go to find napkins I fall out of the pantry with my shirt wide open-cute bra by the way."

Claudia flushed and turned quickly trying to fix her shirt while her friends chuckled. _Ok Kishi, you can either make a big deal about this or make it a joke._ As she walked out of the kitchen with her head held high she turned around and stuck her tongue out at the group gathered in the kitchen while she backed out her side door.

Suddenly, she tripped backwards and flailed her arms trying to catch her balance. She landed in the lap of an extremely good looking man with deep blue eyes. He grinned at her showing a mega watt smile and dimples.

"Well hello Claudia." He said in a sexy mellow voice. "How nice of you to drop in and say hi."

Mallory stood up quickly and helped Claudia to her feet. "Claud, I hope it's ok that I invited him. He was moping around and I thought a party might cheer him up. You remember my brother Adam right?"

"My God Adam!" exclaimed Claudia not even able to hide her surprise. "What's it been like 10 years?"

"Twelve actually." He replied as he winked at her. "But who's counting?"

Claudia couldn't help but smile back at him. She was distracted by a little girl who tugged on Claudia's shirt and asked, "Have you seen my mommy? I want to show her my new boyfriend. I forgot which aunt you are."

"I'm your Aunt Claudia." She said as she picked up Sutton and gave her a hug. "Let's see if we can't find your mommy." She quickly found Mary Anne as the two of them were introduced to Sutton's boyfriend.

"This is Lyman Bruno Jr. My boyfriend." Announced Sutton as she pointed to a young boy about her age.

"Wouldn't that be something Mary Anne?" commented Logan as he joined the girls. "Our kids getting married?"

"You know it is kind of weird that out of our whole group, no one from Stoneybrook ended up with anyone else from Stoneybrook." Commented Anna aloud.

"Never say never!" cried out Mallory & Stacey simultaneously before giggling and hooking pinkies and yelling "jinx."

Sometime later as Stacey sat with Kristy, Nigel, Jason, and Abby she watched Sam slowly walk across the backyard carrying Anna's son Stephen on his shoulders.

"Never say never." She repeated herself happily as she watched Sam's eyes light up when he saw Claudia while making Stephen blow kisses at her.

Across the yard as Mallory sat with Roger, Jessi, Terrance, Anna, Elliott, Mary Anne, Julie & Logan she watched Adam's eyes follow Claudia's every move.

"So Mallory?" asked Mary Anne. "Is Adam seeing anyone or is he the epitome of a bachelor? Never going to settle down?"

Mallory thought about this for awhile. Her brother was forever waiting for the right girl to come along. He was a head chef for Stamfords only 5 star Steakhouse yet could never seem to find a girl who understood his passion for his job. Mallory's eyes lit up as she watched Adam showing off with some of the little boys tossing a football to them. She liked how he pretended to tackle Claudia but instead spun her around as all the kids tried to tackle him.

"Never say never…" repeated Mallory as she watched Claudia toss Sutton onto the pile of boys.


	10. Chapter 10

"Cakes by Claudia. For us, it's hardly ever a feat, making your wedding extra sweet!' sand Betty into the phone. "Mmm-hmm. Hold on please."

Betty grinned as she held the phone out to Claudia. Claudia quickly wiped her hands on a nearby towel as she picked up the phone. 

"Hello? Claudia here. How can I help you?"

"Hey Claudia. This is Adam. Adam Pike." said the voice on the other end nervously.

"Is it just me or does she remind you of how Vanessa used to rhyme everything when she was a kid?"

Claudia laughed at the memory. "I almost forgot about that. So what's up Adam?"

"Well, my boss gave me two tickets to this taste of Hartford event tomorrow night. It's where some very renown restaurants get together and you walk around sampling their food. It's all for charity. I wanted to know if you wanted to go with me? It'd be kind of neat to go to one of these with someone who has a background in food." He paused nervously waiting for an answer.

"Sure Adam." Replied Claudia warmly. "That sounds like it would be fun."

They chatted for a few minutes more as they decided that Adam would pick her up at 6:00 pm the following night. As Claudia hung up the phone, she turned to see Betty scowling at her. 

"It takes more muscles to frown than smile, Betty." teased Claudia.

"What will Sam think about you going out with another guy?" lectured Betty.

"Why would Sam care?" said Claudia incredulously. "We're just hanging out. It's not like we're exclusive or anything."

"Does Sam know that?" asked Betty quietly.

Claudia began wiping down counters as she mulled over Betty's comment. She scrubbed vigorously at a spot on the counter before she turned around.

"Look, Sam and I have fun together. But he is working a lot at his new job and settling up with the divorce and everything. Sam isn't looking for anything serious. Besides, Adam and I just have a lot in common."

"Funny, I seem to recall you saying the same thing about Sam a few months ago when all your friends were in town." Betty stared at Claudia. "Have a good night child. I'll see you on Monday."

Claudia sank weakly into a chair as she thought about what Betty had said. She was distracted by the sound of her cell phone ringing. She grinned as Sam's picture id popped up on her phone.

"Hey Sam. What's up?"

"Hey Claud. I just figured we haven't seen much of each other the past couple weeks. I thought maybe we could drive up and hang out with Jason & Stacey , stay over and kind of make a weekend out of it? I'll do anything to get out of unpacking boxes in my new apartment. Or we could just stay local, you haven't even been to my new apartment. HINT HINT! I figured you would have all sorts of decorating ideas." 

Claudia flushed nervously. "That sounds fun Sam but I actually have plans tomorrow night."

"Plans? How could anything be more exciting than the thought of a weekend with me?" He joked.

"Actually Adam Pike invited me to this tasting event in Hartford and I. Well I said I'd like to go."

"Oh." said Sam quietly. "I guess I should have asked you sooner."

"I'm sorry Sam. Maybe next weekend?"

"Sure. But. It's just…" His voice trailed off. "It's just I kinda thought we were onto something cool here Claudia. Now you're dating different guys. I just really have liked being with you. I miss you when we're not together. "

"Sam, I like that to. It's just-"

"It is what it is Claudia. Call me next week or something. K?"

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"Ready to hit the desserts?" asked Adam as he guided Claudia through the crowd.

Claudia groaned as she held her stomach. "I don't think I could eat another bite. But why don't you go sample a few. I can just wait here for you."

As she watched him walk away she noticed several woman glancing at him as he confidently strode through the crowd. She wrinkled her nose as she thought of how cocky he had acted around the valet and the wait staff. Sam would never treat anyone that way. Sam would have stood around talking and making up stories about all the other people. The whole time as Adam had been talking to her, she found herself thinking of what Sam was doing and how sad he sounded when you told him she was going out with Adam. She tried to shake the thoughts of Sam out of her head as she noticed Adam walking towards her balancing a plate of food. 

Adam led her to a small table set up and began to discuss the different dishes they had sampled that evening. He reached across the table and grabbed Claudia's hand. He leaned forward and gently bent to kiss her lips. Claudia pulled away quickly and then stood up rubbing her arms.

"Claudia?" asked Adam looking concerned. "Is it something I said?"

"Adam, its not you at all. It's just well. I think we have a lot in common and I really appreciate you bringing me here it's just that…well my mind has kind of been elsewhere."

Adam leaned way back in his chair as he chewed on a toothpick. Claudia squirmed in her chair as she waited for Adam to speak.

"You're thinking about Sam aren't you?" He narrowed his eyes slightly as Claudia nodded. "I figured as much. I knew there had to be something more between you two than just a booty call or you would have tried to jump my bones on the car ride up here. I mean I don't like to brag but I could probably have my pick of any girl in this place. It helps my ego to have a hot chick on my arm."

Claudia stood up quickly trying to control her emotions. "Well, I'm glad that my coming with you will help you get laid. If you don't mind, I think I'll take a cab and take the train back now."

Adam laughed. "Don't be that way, you can take my car. That blonde over there by the dessert table has been making eyes at me all night."

"I don't want anything from you Adam. Have a great life." Claudia turned on her heel and walked away from Adam as hot tear stung her eyes. _Once again, I've made a complete mess of my love life._

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"_Do you always answer your door wearing nothing but boxers?" asked Claudia._

"_Only when someone is knocking on my door in the middle of the night." retorted Sam as he led Claudia into his apartment. "What's in the bag?"_

"_Well the gas station was the only thing open so for now, this is what I have brought to decorate your place." She began to pull the items out of the bag as Sam laughed. "So I have a lovely pine tree shaped air freshner, a pair of fuzzy dice, a a bag of pork rinds and 2 bottles of Gatorade."_

_Sam reached for a Gatorade and began playing with the cap as he glanced at Claudia. "So how was your date?"_

"_Look Sam, I made a mistake. I just figured you weren't looking to start anything serious. Adam had these tickets and I-"_

"_Claudia, just because I don't want to get married tomorrow doesn't mean I don't want to be serious with someone special. I admit that I was kind of an ass. I never pushed for us to be anything official and you have every right to date all three Pike triplets if you want. The thing is -"_

"_Look, can I just say something?" interrupted Claudia. "You and I have talked and you know I don't like to talk about my feelings. I want you to know some things though. I don't want to date Adam or any of the Pike triplets. I don't want to date anyone but you. When I'm not with you , I miss you. I was miserable that I haven't seen you in a few weeks. You have this amazing way of looking at things and I always have the best time with you."_

"_Ok, let's cut all of this bullshit and make it official. Claudia Kishi, will you be my girlfriend?"_

_Claudia grinned and got up to go and sit on Sam's lap. "I would love that more than anything."_

"_Good, cuz I kinda think I might love you." whispered Sam _

"_I think I might love you too." replied Claudia with a giggle. "What do you say we go christen your new bedroom set?"_

_Sam picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "What I love is that you always have the best ideas!"_

"_I do have great ideas, speaking of which. Grab the pork rinds…We'll be hungry later!" _

_As Sam lowered Claudia onto his bed, he kissed her gently as he whispered. "This is where we belong. This is perfect. There is nothing that could ruin this for us…"_


	11. Chapter 11

"Claudia, will you stop staring off into La-La Land and focus on my damn cake?" said Kristy with an exasperated sigh. "I can't believe you are this mushy over my brother Sam. The same Sam who used to prank call us, put fake puke in our sleeping bags, and hide fake bugs in the breakfast cereal…"

Claudia laughed as she thought back to all the jokes Sam used to play on them. "Well, Kristy, I could say, you honestly want me to concentrate on making you a wedding cake? For the girl who swore to never settle down and get married? The girl who practically screamed bloody murder if we tried to get her in a dress or put make up on?"

Kristy laughed and threw her hands up in truce. "Ok, Ok…people can change. It's just weird. I mean who would have thought my brother and one of my friends…" She let the sentence trail off as she noticed Claudia spacing out again. "Ok, back to my cake, what do you have planned? You know I don't want a boring round cake with boring flowers…"

"Trust me Kristy, I spent awhile drawing this up, let me know what you think…" She slid some drawings across the table and grinned as Kristy's jaw dropped.

"Claud, this is amazing, I mean. Holy Shit, this is GORGEOUS!" Kristy grinned as she looked at the drawings. Claudia had designed a pyramid shaped cake surrounded by a desert scene with a male and female character holding hands in front of what looked to be some artifacts. The cake was beautiful, with vibrant colors, and unbelievable details.

"I'm glad you like it, I want it to be my wedding gift to you and Nigel" stated Claudia shyly.

Kristy grabbed Claudia up in a hug and began to dance around the kitchen with her while Betty laughed.

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"So Kristy loved the cake!" exclaimed Claudia happily as she looked across her kitchen table into Sam's eyes. "I think Betty thought we were nuts! We were dancing all around and just being crazy."

Sam grinned. He had known his sister would love the cake and was happy to see Claudia realize once again how talented she was. He twirled some spaghetti around his fork and waited until Claudia looked at him. As soon as she did he sucked in a mouthful of spaghetti as she laughed.

"I still hold the record! I think I'm going on 25 years and still able to suck 11 noodles all at once.

"We'll see about that! I happen to be an expert at this as well!." yelled Claudia with a grin. She quickly gathered up some noodles and began to do the same. She began to cough and choke as she heard her cell phone ring and motioned for am to pick it up.

"Hello? Claudia's phone…"He turned and looked at the phone to make sure it had power. "HELLO?"

Claudia quickly wiped her mouth and asked, "No answer? That's so weird I had 4 missed calls today and it came up as name blocked."

"That's what this was too." Said Sam. "maybe it's telemarketers. Are you on the do not call registry?"

"Like I would know that…." She said with a snort.

"You're snorting now little piggy?" he said laughing as he threw a piece of garlic bread at her. "Oink Oink, my name is Claudia and I snort!"

Later that night as they sat on her sofa with their fingers interlaced, she let out a contented sigh.

"Are you full?" asked Sam with a teasing grin. "Are you about to stink up the room?" He laughed as she grabbed a pillow and hit him in the face with it.

"No, you ass. I was just thinking how happy I am." She turned her head had kissed him. "Business couldn't be better, I've caught up with my old friends, and even Janine and I are getting along better. Most importantly, I have a really hot boyfriend, who I love so much."

Sam furrowed his eyebrows and growled…"Who is this guy, I'll kick his ass." He then laughed and lay backwards on the couch pulling her on top of him.

"Seriously Sam…" said Claudia. "I honestly didn't think I ever could or wanted to fall in love again after Mark. I had pretty much given up, put up my walls, and then you came along. I owe this happiness to you and I will forever love you for it." She let her hair tickle his face as she leaned in to kiss him.

"Well, you know how much I love you Claud. I had my world turned upside down and you helped me set it back up. In fact…I was going to wait and tell you this weekend but I'll tell you now." He sat up quickly nearly knocking Claudia to the ground.

"Sorry babe." He laughed as he sat her on his lap. "I was talking to Jason and he was saying how Stacy wanted to get away for a little bit, and you and I had talked about talking a long weekend…so we thought the 4 of us should head somewhere warm for a few days."

"Oh my Lord!" screamed Claudia. "Where are we going?"

"How does 4 days in Cozumel sound?"

Claudia jumped up and began dancing and pulled Sam off the couch to join her. She began to unbutton his shirt as she let her skit fall to the floor. As things quickly heated up, they quickly found themselves naked on her family room floor.

Afterwards, as she lay in his arms, she kissed him, stood quickly and got dressed much to his protests.

"I thought I'd make us some margaritas to celebrate!" she called over her shoulder.

"You can't make those naked?" he replied as he began pulling on his pants.

Moments later he could hear the sounds of the blender grinding up ice. He cocked his head thinking he heard a sound. Moving closer to the hallway, he heard the unmistakable sound of someone knocking at the door.

He ran into the kitchen and motioned to Claudia that someone was at the door. She waved her hands telling him to answer the door. _Nothing gets in the way of that girl and her margaritas…_He thought laughing as he opened the door.

He opened the door and felt the blood drain out of his face when he saw who was standing there.

"Hon? Whose at the door?" called Claudia from the kitchen. When she didn't receive a reply, she picked up the pitcher of margaritas and walked into the foyer. "Sam? Who is it?" She saw Sam turn around with hurt in his eyes. He quickly stepped aside so she could see who the visitor was.

"Hey Claudia, It's been awhile, hasn't it honey?" He stated slyly.

Claudia gasped and threw both hands over her mouth to try and mask the horrified look on her face. She jumped as the pitcher crashed to the floor spraying sticky margaritas everywhere. Sam quickly looked back at her then again at the man at the door who began to speak.

"Hi, we haven't been introduced. I'm Mark, Claudia's fiancé." He extended his hand to Sam to offer a handshake.


	12. Chapter 12

"Claudia, do you want a little rum in your diet coke to try and take the edge-" Stacey stopped talking as she watched Claudia drink straight from the liquor bottle and then bury her face in her hands. "Seriously, Claudia, I'm trying to help you. Please talk to me."

Claudia lifted her face slowly as she looked at Stacey face filled with sorrow and compassion. She rubbed her eyes wearily and took in a deep breath, shuddering a little bit as she tried not to sob. Stacey bit down on her lower lip wondering if she should try to convince Claudia to try to sleep. She had never seen her best friend look so beaten down. Her face was red and swollen from crying, her hair hung listlessly in her face as she drew her knees under the oversized t-shirt of Sam's she was wearing. Stacey felt her own eyes well up with tears as she felt the pain Claudia was experiencing.

"Claudia, we can talk tomorrow if you want? I told you I'd stay here as long as you needed me…"

"No, no. I'll talk." Objected Claudia as she lit up a cigarette. " I just don't understand! Everything was beyond perfect. We had plans with Shanny and Andy this weekend to take Salsa lessons. Then the next weekend, we were heading out of town with you guys, and now.... now?" Without saying a word, Stacey pulled out an old soda can to use as an ashtray and cracked open the doorwall. She hesitated then reached for a cigarette; using Claudia's lighter to light up. Neither of them smoked except on the occasional drunk night, however whenever either of them was hurting especially bad, they would silently light up cigarettes and smoke until their throats and lungs hurt. Stacey sat down and listened quietly while Claudia filled her in on the events of the previous night.

"So then without saying a word, he just gave me this look, God, Stace, it was awful. This look like he wanted to die. He walked by me, grabbed his coat, and keys out of the kitchen and turned and walked out the door. He texted me early this morning saying it was over forever and to please leave his things on my front porch and he'd pick them up later." Claudia rubbed her temples wearily. "Stacey, why won't he give me a chance to explain? I mean he left the key I gave him to the house on the counter. I had no clue Mark was out of jail. I haven't talked to him in years! He shows up out of no where and it's not like I invited him over."

Stacey reached over and gave Claudia a hug. "It's ok. It'll be ok." She soothed. "You didn't know he'd come over. It's not like you talked to him right?" Stacey grimaced and she felt Claudia stiffen. "Right Claudia? Tell me you didn't invite him in last night?"

Claudia sat up and looked at Stacey then quickly looked down and began fiddling with the bottom hem of her shirt. "Wasispppsgnddo?" she mumbled.

"You want to repeat that?" asked Stacey sarcastically.

Claudia sighed. "What was I supposed to do? He just got out of jail. He had no where to go, no money, nothing."

"THAT IS NOT YOUR PROBLEM!" shouted Stacey. She stood up quickly knocking her chair over backwards causing the cats to run out of the room at the sudden noise. "My Lord Claudia, he lied to you, stole from you, and physically hurt you. You were hauled down to the police station on suspicion of drugs! Not to mention, up until several months ago, pretty much destroyed your want or ability to love a man again. Did he stay here?" She groaned as she saw Claudia's head nod.

"Nothing happened Stace. I swear. I made him a bed on the couch then I went upstairs to try to sleep. At about 3 in the morning I thought I heard a sound and it was just him kind of drinking some water and sitting in my front room. He apologized and said he didn't blame me for being upset."

"How very considerate of him…" muttered Stacey.

"So I just started crying and told him that my life was finally on track and he just stood up, kind of hugged me and held me until I was able to stop crying. He said he would be out of here in the morning and not bother me again. I could call him if I wanted to see him. He was gone when I came downstairs this morning."

As Claudia began sobbing again, Stacey said a silent prayer hoping that Sam would give Claudia a chance to explain the situation.

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Sam sat in his apartment, aimlessly flipping through the channels on the tv. He ignored the texts coming through on his phone knowing it was Kristy checking to see if he was alright. _I can't believe how life can change in just a matter of seconds._ He thought.

When he had walked out of Claudia's house last night, he needed some air to breathe and some time to process everything. Once he had arrived home he tossed and turned and thought about how shocked Claudia had been to see Mark standing there. He knew she hadn't been expecting him and that the visit was unplanned. He wanted to resolve things immediately and quickly threw on a pair of shoes, grabbed his keys and drove back to her house in the middle of the night.

"I guess I got my resolution." He muttered out loud thinking back to the scene. As he had pulled up to the house, he noticed two figures illuminated in her front window locked in an embrace. He waited for a few minutes as Mark's arms remained locked around Claudia and she buried her face in his shoulder.

Sam leaned back on his couch thinking back to the fun times he and Claudia had shared. He couldn't remember feeling so free and excited about a girl. Even his ex-wife had never made him so happy during the times they were together. He thought for a moment, then realized what he needed to do. He reached for his phone and quickly dialed a number, tapping his foot impatiently while waiting for her to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's Sam."

"Sam? Wow, are you ok? Is everything ok? Are plans changing for this weekend?"

"Kind of, well not really, well. There's too much to explain actually. Just wanted to know what you guys were doing not this weekend but the next?"

"No plans I don't think why? Did you want to switch weekends?"

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to head to Cozumel with Stacey and Jason? It's already paid for, I just uh…found out we're not able to go as planned."

"That sounds great Sam, I'd have to make sure Andy can do it but I'm pretty sure he's off that weekend. Are you sure everything is ok? Is Claudia ok?"

Sam felt his throat swell up at the sound of her name.

"Things are …um…. Hey, I'll overnight the info to you ok? You can call Stacey for details. Take care, Shannon. Bye"

He hung up the phone and sank back into the couch cushions finally letting his emotions overtake as tears began rolling down his face.


	13. Chapter 13

"For real Sam, this is ridiculous." Kristy narrowed her eyes as she weaved her car through traffic. "Out of my way Douchbag!"

"Excuse me?" asked Sam..

"Sorry, just trying to pass some slow drivers who have no respect for my need to drive faster." Kristy turned the volume on her cell phone to high as she attempted to turn it on speaker. "Can you hear me Sam?"

Sam sighed loudly. "Yes Krusty, I can hear you."

Kristy wrinkled her nose in response to Sam's nickname for her. "Look Sam, it's been almost 3 months. You are both miserable. The wedding is just around the corner…Are you going to avoid her? That's kind of hard as you're the best man and she's in the wedding party."

"Look, I'm not going to cause a scene or anything at your wedding. Especially knowing that your soon to be oaf of a husband will cause enough scenes to last a lifetime. I'll happily stand up there, do my best man speech, take advantage of the open bar, flirt with the old ladies and just avoid Claudia at all costs."

"That's great Sam. Real mature. Why don't you stick your tongue out at her while we're standing on the altar too?"

"Dammit Kristy! Why can't you understand? She destroyed me. Completely destroyed me. With Lisa, I knew we had both fallen out of love real soon after we got married. We basically were friends for the 4 years we were married. I knew she was cheating on me but it didn't matter. She didn't LIE about it and I didn't love her then."

"But Sam, she isn't with Mark. She didn't lie about anything. She got snowed by him big time and eventually was glad he went to jail. Him showing up that night was completely unplanned. As for him being her fiancé, come on. When they were together he never gave her a ring, he was talking out of his ass, making promises that they'd get married. He was saying all this shit just to keep her with him. I'm telling you, she is miserable without you. She is not with Mark. Why can't you get it through your thick head?"

Sam felt his face flush with anger as he tightened his grip on his phone.

"She's not with him? Why is his van parked outside her shop practically every day? Why did I see them having lunch with Anna & Elliott a few weeks ago?"

Kristy brought her car to a screeching halt nearly causing a pile up behind her.

"SHE WHAT!!!!!!" she screamed into the phone. "She was on a lunch date with him?"

"I guess she's not as miserable as we think. Eh Kristy?" retorted Sam as he hung up the phone.

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Stacey frowned as she tried read a recipe and mentally divide the amount of ingredients in half. _Why do they think everyone wants to make servings for 4? What about servings for 2?_ She thought as she listened to Kristy's rambling on over the phone.

"So while my brother is moping around over her, that two-timing hoe is out with Mark as if nothing ever happened. Can you believe that? Of all the nerve. I have half a mind to boot her out of my wedding and get a cake from Costco just to piss her off." Huffed Kristy. "Hello? Stacey? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"You didn't give me a chance. Jesus, Kristy, listen to yourself. Did you ever get Claudia's point of view, She could-"

"Her point of view?" Spat out Kristy. "Ha! Her point of view is that my brother was just a landing pad until her druggie fiancé made parole."

"That's not fair Kristy and you know it." Said Stacey quietly. "I have never in my life seen Claudia so down and hurt. Not even after Mark got sent to jail and she realized how he stole all her money. She is finding it difficult just to get up every day and try to maintain her business. She has tried to talk to Sam and he won't return any calls. You want to talk about hard-headed. It's Sam. I don't blame him for being hurt, but he needs to let her explain."

"Oh yeah, ok, so there is a reason his van is always at her work? They're double dating with friends? Come on Stacey. Even you have common sense under all that blonde hair."

"Actually I do have an explanation…" explained Stacey as she put the finishing touches on her casserole before sliding it in the oven. "Quite honestly, I think you are totally being a bitch to immediately take Sam's side and not find out the whole story."

Stacey took a deep breath and continued before Kristy could interrupt.

"First off, that van? It's Claudia's. Mark was driving it but it was in Claudia's name. She had paid for it and Mark had it hidden at his cousin's house. When he went to jail she never pursued finding it or getting custody of it. I mean the thing is about 9 years old but it runs fine…"  
Kristy smacked her forehead in frustration. "And Claudia was saying how much she needed a van for deliveries but didn't want a new one; she wanted an old one to gut it and design to transport cakes…"

"Mmm-hmmm…" replied Stacey with a condescending tone. "The van has been sitting there forever until she can figure out how to properly insure it and get it renovated. It's less liability to keep it stored at her shop then at her house."

"Okay, okay, so I may have jumped the gun on the van, but that doesn't explain them hanging out with Anna & Elliott." Replied Kristy.

"Kristy! Think! What do Anna and Elliott do for a living?" said Stacey exasperated at how hard-headed her friend was being.

"Well Elliott is a lawyer and Anna is –"she paused as everything suddenly became clear. "Anna is an insurance agent."

"Right!" pointed out Stacey. " They were meeting because part of Mark's sentence was to provide repercussions to Claudia. They were figuring out a payment plan, how to insure the van, and how to recover assets. Claudia is trying to get everything settled at once and get him out of her life forever. She wanted to have friends handle the logistics of everything so she could stay as far removed from it as possible, Meeting in a public place meant she didn't have to be alone with him and they could get all issues resolved at once."

"I am an ass." Replied Kristy. "I need to make this better. Listen, give me a few days to think of a plan. I will get Sam & Claudia together if it's the last thing I do!"


	14. Chapter 14

"Karen, you are being ridiculous. Will you just eat something?" groaned Kristy as she watched her stepsister push her plate away untouched. "This is my Bridal shower and you are causing a scene!"

Claudia laughed as she watched Emily Michelle roll her eyes at Karen. Mary Anne began fiddling with her napkin nervously as usual whenever she would be present in an awkward situation.

"Karen, sweetie, this chicken is delicious and it is your sister's shower." Soothed Mary Anne. "Couldn't you just take a little bite?"

Karen crossed her arms defiantly. "I told you all!" she hissed through clenched teeth. "I will not eat until prisoners are treated fairly. They are human beings who should be able to enjoy quality of life."

"Be sure to keep her away from Dawn at the wedding…" whispered Mary Anne to Kristy.

Claudia slammed her hand on the table causing the women to jump. "Quality of life?" she spat out. "I think their right to a fair life ends when they break the law. If they can't abide by the rules why the hell should they have the same rights I do? Stop this stupid bullshit, eat your damn lunch and stop ruining this shower."

Claudia narrowed her eyes as Karen's face turned pale. "I swear to God, you are so concerned with taking a stand on absolutely anything when in reality, what you need to do Karen is take a good look in the mirror and realize what a selfish, spoiled brat you have been to your family when all they want is the best for you. Grow up!"

Claudia glanced up as Kristy flashed a huge grin at her. Wordlessly, Karen reached out for her plate and tentatively began cutting her chicken.

"So…um….where is the rehearsal dinner going to be again?" chattered Mary Anne nervously trying to ease the awkwardness.

An hour later as Kristy opened the last of her gifts, Claudia glanced out the window and felt her stomach turn when she saw Sam's car pull into the parking lot. She watched as he and Nigel exited the SUV and walked towards the restaurant. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat as Mary Anne looked at her sympathetically. As she heard Nigel's booming laugh she quickly blinked back the tears forming in her eyes. As Sam and Nigel walked in, a rush of emotions flooded through her. She quickly bent down and began gathering up bits of wrapping paper and ribbon from the floor and tried not to think of how miserable the last 4 months had been. Sam hadn't returned any of her calls or answered the door when she had gone over to explain things. _I can't imagine how hurt he must have been when Mark showed up. But it's over with Mark and I. Sam is who I want to be with._

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"How you holding up Claud?" asked Stacey as they carried gifts out to load in Sam's SUV.

"As well as I can be I guess." Replied Claudia with a sigh. "I mean he won't talk to me, won't look at me, won't even acknowledge me. Plus-" just then Stacey collided into Claudia causing her to drop the gifts she was carrying onto the ground. As Stacey bent down to help her Claudia waved her off. "Look, just grab another load. The sooner I can get out of here the better." As Stacey quickly turned and walked back into the restaurant hiding her grin, Claudia buried her face in her hands as she tried to take deep breaths to stop from crying.

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"I don't know Kristy, it seems like we are sticking our nose into their business when they need to sort things out for themselves…" said Mary Anne as she looked out the window as Sam walked through the parking lot carefully balancing a stack of gifts.

"Mary Anne!" protested Kristy. "How long have you known me? Sticking my nose in other people's business is what I do best!" She chuckled and rubbed her hands together in delight. "See, Claudia is out there lamenting about her life, Sam is walking towards her clueless that she is there."

"and if I know your brother.." continued Nigel. "And jolly well I think I do! He will take one look at Claudia sitting there and they'll be back together in minutes. Wicked good planning, my brilliant bride to be!"

"and if I do say so myself-" began Stacey with a grin. "I think my collision with Claudia out there was an Oscar worthy performance."

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"What happened here?" wondered Sam aloud as he noticed scattered items around his car. He looked ahead and saw Claudia sitting with her back to him sitting on a curb. He watched her shoulders shake and instantly knew she was crying. With a deep sigh, he placed the items he was carrying into the back of his car. He slowly approached Claudia and put his hand hesitantly on her shoulder. Claudia stiffened at the touch then slowly turned her tear-stained face towards Sam.

He held out his hand as he said, "Claud? I think we need to talk."

Wordlessly Claudia nodded and placed her hand into Sam's.


End file.
